Electric vehicles (EVs) are central to decarbonising transport.

However, their transformative potential depends on the availability and reliability of supporting charging infrastructure.

Despite billions in government investment globally, the charging infrastructure sector faces persistent and complex challenges that need urgent attention:

• Costs: the sector requires substantial capital investment to install new charging stations, upgrade existing electrical grid infrastructure, and cover ongoing operational and maintenance costs. These financial demands often exceed the capacity of individual operators, calling for coordinated investment strategies.
• Grid Limitations: Surging electricity demand from EV charging is straining existing power grids, requiring extensive upgrades and capacity expansions. The challenge is compounded by lack of coordination between key stakeholders, e.g. utilities, suppliers, grid operators, and charging point operators, leading to inefficient grid development and utilisation.
• Geographic constraints: Rural areas suffer from limited charging networks compared to urban centres, whilst densely populated areas struggle with space constraints for adequate charging points. This geographic imbalance creates coverage gaps that undermine user confidence and adoption.
• Policy and regulatory: Inconsistent technical standards across regions create compatibility issues and fragmented user experiences, hindering market development. Additionally, navigating complex regulatory frameworks, including permit requirements, licensing procedures, approval processes, and compliance with minimum standards, imposes heavy administrative burdens and costs on infrastructure developers.

These challenges play out differently across regions, with developing nations facing particularly acute difficulties from limited investment capital, underdeveloped grid infrastructure, and policy uncertainty. However, the recurring themes across diverse markets underscores a fundamental truth: achieving the full potential of EVs as key contributors to global net-zero targets requires a coordinated international strategy.

The success of electric mobility depends not only on continued EV innovation and adoption, but building on robust, accessible, and reliable charging infrastructure. Achieving this demands sustained collaboration between governments, industry stakeholders, and international organisations to ensure that charging infrastructure development matches the ambition and pace of the electric vehicle revolution.

Our tracker compares the current EV infrastructure regulations across different countries.